Shrimp peeling machine



Nov. 24, 1953 H. JAGGER SHRIMP FEELING MACHINE 5 Sheet's-Sheet l Filed Aug. 22, 1951 Y H. JAGGER 2,659,930

SHRIMP FEELING MACHINE Nov. 24, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 22 1951 INVENTOR.

Huber Jagger Nov. 24, 1953 v H, JAGGER 2,659,930

SHRIMP FEELING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22 1951` 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 JNVENTOR.

Nov. 24, 1953 H. JAGGER 2,659,930-

SHRIMP FEELING 'MACHINE 1N V EN TOR.

Habe/ Jagger Nov. 24, 1953 H. .JAGGER 2,659,930

` SHRIMP FEELING MACHINE 4 Filed Aug. 22 1951 5` Sheets-Sheet 5 5 INVENTOR.

BY Zubr Jagger Mw m l o i clays;

Patented Nov. 24, 1953 UNI tATEsNT FI 12,659,930

SSSHIRIMP -TEELING MACHINE fHiibert Jagger, Maywood, Ill.

/Applic'atin AllguStrZZ, 1951, Serial N0. 243,010

9 Claims.

1 lhis invention lrelates yto :improvements in @s hr .mp .peeling machines.

irreshsshrimps a.often are shipped :to fish stores.,

.ir nts and other puryeyors yof such .ffood ww he heads :removed put-Meith-theshells and mt. `s ntaet- `.While Various -Ltools and wmaehihes iiarefheretoore been designed vfor use h1 rem0vringithezshell-.s insofar :as wearerawar-e .he man elaine has gone.- i1f1to general use for removing the fs ells #and tails or which :performs those .operaat ns satisfactorily. cliente., these -ehores igenferally are performed @by fhand. including fthe rergiovfal of the so-gealled `,sand Vein or intestine .which lis gloeated AVAin the flesh v,along 'the `.tacks `-of the shrimps. 1

Several factors .render idieult the removal fof fthe shells from Shrimps hyeutematie meehanism- -rFor example. \.t.he Shrimps are somewhat slimy ,and hence slippery. flhey fare larger in girth .at the vfoward .end and .taper ito a .rela- .tiyelysmalldiameter at the juncture of -the .body the Itai-l. The Vshells are ,relatively tough, .although segmented, 'While ;the ff1es'h ,is l.relatii/el'y easily torn or fmutilated. Shrimps Aoff a @sha1-hatch. 7although .in .a ,partieular size elass, .may -vary .considerably in .size and y.hence a .ma-

ehine .,forremovling .theshells .must accommodate .itself to the different :sizes .of .the Shrimps .as theyiare operated .on by the maehine. A`Furthe.r-

-i-n a rloshea.decl shrimp, the .flesh at 'the forward .end .of the .body .often .protrudes .laterally ybeyond .the orwardedge of .the shell which ,interferes 'with Aengagement .of the .shell .by :mathine instrumehtalties `c'lesigheii .to Veffect .removal :of .the .shells 'as the Shrimps .move in .relatie/,ely .rapid succession through "the `maehine.

.Cneobit-.of 4,the present inyentionfis .to pro.- vide ...a maehineinto lwhich .sh'rmps of L(non-uni.- .forrn .sizes .can bie ,fed "in .succession 'and .having ymeans jfor .removing .the .sand Lveins and .shells and .preferably the v.tails [as "the headless :bodies .of ,the .Shrimps jm've .'ilnillterrnpteglly 'through the 'machine n n A ,more `Specific ,object .of ,the ginvlentio'n 'is to l.provide a machine of the :character ,mentioned l means for slitting the shells .along the back and .belly ,of the shrimps -from .end to .end :to `condition the vshells ffor asubsequent ,removal and for removing the sand veins or freeing .or

4making accessible any unremoved fragments of the vveins for subsequent `complete removal why sa k:Washing operation, Zand means associated Vwith the A'slitting :means ffor :aligning lsuccessive :Shrimps of different sizes with the; slitting means randvconveying `thef shri'mps 'to afsecond:conveyor .2 which directly engages the fflesh of the v:Joodies -by -way of .said `slits for 'moving 4.the bodies teiahd through apparatus :for .strippng the slittedgshells from r.the bodies.

An :additional 4-oloiect of xthe invention :is lto provide, in `a machine of the class described, means .for slitting V,the shells ,of -shrimps along the backs and .bellies f-to uniform depths, `inelu'dirig ,mechanism Vfor adjusting the slitting means to positions for ,effecting `that result-notwithstanding differences ,in sizes of Athe shrimps Alo'eing fed .into rthe v.maehine fAnotheroloject of the ,invention .is .to .provide a pairof peeling devices for stripping thefslitte`d shells `from the shrimp bodies .as 'they .pass .in succession through .a peeling lstation `of the proved machine, .and .control mechanism Jfor .constraining .the .devices .to move in unison .to positions for engaging the `shells .at the forward .ends vof the shrimp `bodies .and to `follow the changing contours of .each body ,throughout .the .length tof the latter, 4all notwithstanding Yariations in sizes 4of `successive Shrimps.

Additional .objects of .the invention lrlate `to Vvarious features .of construction .and arrangementof parts .which Willb'eappa'rent `from a .Consideration of the v'following specificationfand facjcohpanying drawings wherein:

.Figure 1 is .a 'plan View .of the "new .machine showing IsomeWha't ,.diagrammati'ally at the ht of .the gfigu're a Lmeans .responsive 'Ito the 'Size of ...successive .shrimps ifor feeding ls'himps tinto the m'eohanism 'which Yr'emove's "the tails (preferably and slits the shells at 'the'top'andbottoin along Athe backs and bellies. respectively. 'and from which .the Shrimps pass in succession to 'shell .stripping-means. .shown at "the left 'of the ligure,

'.Wfhieh Yrer'no'ves the jslitted 'shells' from the fbodies; 'Fji1g-32 is a side `elevatio'nal 4View V'of the mech-- A'anism shown "in Fig. 1, also shown somewhat rdiagrammatieally;

Fig. 3 'is a side 'elevational View of the iimproved machine, some parts 'being broken 'away .or shown .in section for 'the purpose .of clarity off illustration;

-Jg. 4 is a broken .plan View voff .the .machine ShoWn.iI1.F-ig. 3; y

Fig. l5 is a sectional View .taken ,on line .ES

fhand `portion of Ithe :machine .shown in yifig. 1, ai. ge... the @ih-feeding, rde-tailihg and slitting meeh anism and the self-.adjusting 0r r,eoirlperlsating arrangement whereby the seeding belts -.are .equally or symmetrically .adjusted jwith respect 3 to a vertical plane through the slitting saws not only in response to shrimp of different sizes but in response to the varying contours of the individual shrimps as they move from right to left;

Fig. 7 is a left-hand extension of Fig. 6 and illustrates the shrimp peeling means and associated shrimp conveyor mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a broken vertical section on an enlarged scale illustrating the slitting saws, the View being taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 9 9 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 10 is a broken enlarged sectional view taken on line lli-IB of Fig. 3;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged broken sectional view taken on line II-II of Fig. 2;

Fig. 12 is a bottom view illustrating parts of the driving or operating mechanism as viewed in the direction of the arrows designating line I2-I2 in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic representation of a portion of the drive arrangement.

The machine comprises two associated shrimp conveyor systems or sub-assemblies indicated by letters A and B in Fig. l. The mechanism constituting the assemblies A and B is supported primarily by a horizontal plate Ill shown in Fig. 3 which, in the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated in said figure, is supported by a base or cabinet-like structure II which is mounted on casters I2 by means of which the mechanism may be moved to a convenient position for operation as, for example, adjacent a washing receptacle I4 into which the shelled 'shrimp are adapted to be discharged by the machine for subsequent washing. Referring again to Fig. l, the structure therein illustrated more or less diagrammatically comprises a cooperating pair of two endless belts I5, I5a which are arranged to engage shrimp fed manually or, if preferred, automatically to the machine for constraining the Shrimps for movement from right to left beneath a pair of tail severing blades I6, I6a, the adjacent edges of which overlap, as shown in the figure, whence the machine carries the shrimp intol contact with a pair of rotary slitting devices shown in the form of saws I1, I'Ia (see Fig. 2) which slit the shell of each shrimp passing between the saws longitudinally along the belly and back to form kerfs of predetermined depth, whence the shrimp passes under control of the adjacent runs of the belts into section B of the mechanism.

Section B has parts which cooperate to remove the slitted shell from the shrimp body. This section B comprises essentially two endless needle bearing chains I8, Isa in the form of sprocket chains passing over sprockets later referred to and each having a series of sharp pointed needles or pins I9 carried by angular plates I9a secured to the links of the chain. The needles I9 of .each chain I8, Ia are, as viewed in Fig. 11, disposed in the same vertical plane or substantially the same plane and are designed to enter the upper and lower kerfs formed by the saws I'I, Ila and impale the esh of the shrimp without penetrating the shell sections and hence leaving the shell sections free to be stripped from the body as the latter is moved forwardly or to the left in Figs. 1-5. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a shrimp body will be impaled on the needles as' it is about to leave engagement between the belts I5, I5a and will be conveyed from right to left as viewed -in said gures-into engagement with a pair.of

peeler members indicated generally by numerals 20, 26a. These peeler members 20, 29a are mounted on feeler members 2I, 2Ia which are arranged to engage the forward ends of the shrimps as they move into peeling position and thus move the operative or pointed ends of the peeler members 2U, 20a into position for engaging the forward ends of the shrimps immediately inwardly of the shells. As shown in Fig. 1, the pointed ends of the peeler members 20,2011 are located inwardly slightly beyond the adjacent portions of the feeler members. The said adjacent portions of the feeler members are sharpened to form cutting edges 22, 22a which are designed to cut through the esh of the shrimp which generally or frequently protrudes over the end of the shell at the plane where the head was severed. This arrangement enables the edges 22, 22a to engage the forward edges of the shell and thus effect disposition of the pointed ends of the peelers 20, 20a at positions for engaging closely inwardly of the shells whereby as the impaled body of the shrimp is advanced from right to left by the needle chains, the severed halves of the shell are stripped from the shrimp and are deposited in a suitable receptacle 23 beneath the mechanism. The shrimp body proceeds to the end of the needle conveyors where it is released from the needles by releasing members 24, 24a the form of metal strips each having a longitudinal slit therein for accommodating movement of the needles which, being part of the chains pass around the respective sprockets which carry the needle chains at the left hand end of 'the section B.

The belt conveyors I5, I5a at the right-hand end of the machine, as viewed in Fig. 1, pass around pulleys 26, 26a respectively and around pulleys 21, 21a at the opposite ends of the conveyors. The latter pulleys are idler pulleys, while pulleys 26 26a are driven, as will be later described. Each of the belt conveyors is provided with means for retaining the belts I5, I5a in a suitably taut condition and which permit the adjacent runs of the belt which engage the shrimps to move toward or away from a center line between said runs automatically in response to the size of a particular shrimp being moved between the belts. As shown in Fig. 6, a pulley 28 is carried by `an L-shaped arm 29 which is pivotally mounted on the shaft 26 upon which the pulley 26 is mounted and at the opposite end of the arm it carries a vertical stud 3D. A pulley 28a is mounted on a similar L-shaped arm 29a mounted on the shaft 26 of the belt pulley 26a, and is provided with a slot 3Ia at its opposite end which receives the pin or stud 30. An arm 32 at one end carries a pulley 33 and at the Cpposite end is mounted for swinging movement on the shaft 26 of the pulley 2B. The arm 32 is provided with a threaded stud having a nut 34 thereon, the stud being received within an arcuate slot provided in arm 29. By the construction shown, the pulleys 28 and 33 can be moved apart for tightening the belt to the proper tension after which tightening the nut 34 will hold the two arms Z9 and 32 relatively rigid `and. hence movable arcuately in unison about the shaft 26 as a center.

,The arm 32a is pivotally mounted on the vertical shaft 26 of the pulley 26a and at its opposite end carries a pulley 33a. This arm is likewise adjustable relative to the arm 29a when a nut 34a on a stud in an arcuate slot in arm 29a y.has been loosened-for... the purpose of properly tensioning the belt ld, atter! which the arms- 259e and 32a are swi-ngableY in unison about the pivot shaft 26"" abovementioneda A spring -35' is shown Fig. 6 secured to the short end of the arm 28a and is suitably anchored at the other end and tends to pull thearm to the right as. viewed in Fig`.`6,` which, due to the cooperation of the pin 301 within the slot- 35|, tends to swing the short arm of lever 29' in the same direction. Such movement of the arms 29 and 29a under the action of the spring '35` tends to move the pulleys 2-8, 28a closer together; However, since pulleys 33; and 33a move with the' arms, "such movement does not vary the tension of the belt. A removable-V shield,4 not Shown, is positioned over the arms and the spring and stud during use of? the machine, the arms being located close to the surface of the plate I0. y

As shown in Figs. l and 6, the adjacent runs of the belts converge in passing from the driven rollers 28, 26a tothe idler rollers 28, 28a. When the short arms of the levers 29, 29a are retained by the spring 35 against a stop 3G (see Fig. 6), the inner runs of the belts are relatively closely spaced together, such spacing being sufficient to engage the sides of the smallest size Shrimps adapted to be peeled =by the illustrated machine. When larger size shrimps are fed between thebelts, that is, from right to left, the inner runs of the belts, by' reason of the above described compensating arrangement, can move apart to accommodate such larger bodies.

vThe opposite or left-hand ends of the belts i5, ld are provided with similar compensating structures. As shown in Fig. 6, the pulleys 2l, 21a are respectively mounted on vertical studs or shafts 21', 2.7i carried by the left-hand ends of arms 31, 31a, the arms being pivotally secured at 38, 38a to the plate lil. The short ends of the L-shaped arms are interengaged by means of a stud 39 secured to arm 37a which stud is received within a slot 40 in the adjacent end of the arm 3l. A helical spring 4l, under tension, extends between the armsl 37, 31a which tends to draw rollers 2l, 21a one toward the other to substantially the position shown in Fig. 6 where the short ends of the arm abut a limiting stopy M. The passage of a shrimp of greater thickness than the distance between the inner runs of the belts t5, [5a shown in Fig. 6 enables the left-hand portions of the belts to move apart each in a like degree (similarly to the right-hand portions of thebelts), whereby the shrimp body is moved in a straight line corresponding to a center line between the inner runs of the belts as shown in Fig. 6.

Extending between the pulleys 27a and 28a of the conveyor l 5a is a backing plate 42a which lies immediately adjacent the inner face of the inner run of the belt. The backing plate 42a is shown as provided with ears 43a at each end containing elongate holes by means of which the plate is mounted on the respective pulley axes, the clonn gate holes avoiding binding as the parts are moved arcuately. The backing plate 42a, prevents inward bowing of the inner run of the belt ld as it moves froml pulley 28a to pulley 21a. A similar backing plate 42 is provided for the corresponding portion of the belt l5 and is similarly mounted, although in Fig. 6 the mounting ears which are mounted on the studs constituting the axes of the belts 2l, 28 have been omitted for the purpose of clarity.

As shown inV Fig. 6, a pair of guide plates 44, 44a are mounted just above the upper edges of attacco the belts [51, |5a respectively. TheV plates are secured in positionV by screws 45', 45a which pass through tubular spacing studs Mi,v 46a, respectively into threaded apertures provided in the plate I0'. The plates 44, Maarev shown formed separately as a matter of convenience and are provided with a slot 4l which 'accommodates the upper rotary saw' |=1 shown in Fig". 3. The saw` as shown in the latter ligure, projects beneath the plate a predetermined distance for cutting through the shell of the shrimp as it. passes be.- neath the saw; Saw |'1 is mounted on= a driven shaft 49 which is mounted in. a bearing 50 which is secured to: upright supports 5|' which in turn are secured to the plate lill. The second. rotary saw lila is journalled in a swinging frame indicated generally by numeral 53" and' is biased for upward movement toward the` saw il. Such upward movement is limited at the point where the two saws will be spaced' apart a short distance m the event the saws are locatedY in the same plane'. However, the saws may be offset4 one from the plane of the other substantially only the distance corresponding to the thickness of the saw so as to avoid clashing of the saw'blades,l since itris de sirable that the adjacent `teeth of the saws be movable' into close relationship forv the reason that thev caudal base of a shrimp is quite small andl it is desirable that the sa-ws slit the shellcom pletely through said base to facilitate complete removal of the shell` sections by the peeler mechanism.

As stated, the saw Ha is biased for movement in an upward direction and for the purpose: of avoiding forminga deep kerf in the back of the shrimp, that is, the lowermost portion thereof as it moves belly upv through the mechanism, the saw Ila is provided preferably on opposed sides with discs 52 as shown in Fig. 8 which are slightly smaller in diameter than the saw` The difference in diameter betweenl the saw and the discs enables the saw to cut kerfsin the backs ofthe shrimps to a predetermined depth, the peripheries of the discs 52 constituting abutments limiting the depth of the kerfs.

As viewed in Fig. 3, the lower saw lla: is in a lowermost spaced position but actuallyl the biasing means inthe form4 of a spring 54 normally will hold the saw at an elevation` wherein the teeth thereof will overlapthe teeth of the upper saw I1 or will be spaced slightly from the teeth of saw Il if the saws are co-planar. As a shrimp body is moved forwardly by the engagement of theinner runs of the belts l5 and 15a into en.- gagement with the two saws, the lower saw lla will be moved downwardly by the body, thus .tende ing to force the shrimp body upwardly against the guide plates M, 44a. The peripheries of the discs 52 engage the shrimp body along the back and force the normally convex belly of the shrimp nat against the lower side of plates to enablev the upper saw Il to make the necessary cut along the shrimp belly. The lower saw Ir'laz.` will. be forced downwardly by engagement of the discs 52y with the back of the shrimp and limit the lower saw to a cut in depth corresponding to the extent that the saw' teeth project radially beyond the discs. The biasing actionof the, saw tends to force a shrimp body upwardly against the plates as stated and hence, while the lower saw lla is moved downwardly by the large forward end of the shrimp, the upward or belly portion` of the shrimp is pressed upwardly against the plates lid, Ma as the shrimp bodyimoves between the saws and thus the saws cooperate to cut kerfs in the upper and lower portions of the shrimp body continuously from the forward end to the extreme rear end of the body, the tail having been removed by the rotary knives I6, Ia.

In feeding the headless shrimp into the machine by hand, the operator grasps the shrimp by the tail beneath his thumb and forenger and advances it, large end rlrst, between the converging right-hand portions of the belts I5, Ia. There is a guard -55 in the form of a sheet metal plate which overlies the right-hand portion of the feeding belts I5, |50. as shown in Fig. 3, the guard being provided with a V-shaped slot 56 therein as shown in Fig. 4. The body of a shrimp generally is curled with the back forming the larger arc. The operator retains the tail of the shrimp in his fingers as he moves it forwardly' along the V-shaped feed passage with the tail between his fingers. The narrowing of the passage from right to left prevents his fingers coming in contact with the rotary knives I6, Ilia and by this arrangement, the tail will be clipped off by the cooperating overlapping blades or knives as the tail is held in the fingers as the shrimp body passes beneath the blades. The tail can be tossed aside into any suitable receptacle. The belts carry the shrimp between the saws as above-described which, while the depth of the kerfs formed thereby are limited, the kerfs extend from end to end of the shrimp notwithstanding the converging shape of the shrimp body from the forward to the rear end. The lower'saw Ia cuts along the sand vein of the shrimps, thus removing the vein or making any remaining portions thereof accessible for removal usually by a washing operation after the Shrimps have been shelled.

AS a shrimp is carried by the belts I5, |511, to the left by section A of the machine into the range of the needles I9 of the chains I8 of section B, the needles penetrate the flesh of the shrimp through the kerfs cut by the saws and thus move the shrimp progressively to the left as viewed in Fig. 2, for example. The chains I8, I8a are carried by suitable sprockets arranged in upper and lower horizontal pairs, the upper pair being designated by reference characters 51, 58 and the lower sprockets by reference characters 59, 60. The sprockets mentioned are mounted on horizontal shafts 6 I, 62, 63 and 64, respectively, which are vsupported in suitable bearings each designated by reference character 65 in Fig. 5. Sprockets 51 and 59 are attached to the respective shafts 6I and 63 to be driven thereby while sprockets 53 and 60 are not keyed or otherwise drivingly secured to the respective shafts 62 and 64.

An electrical motor 6B located at one side of the machine operates suitable drive means for driving the belts I5, im, the horizontal tail severing discs I6, |60., the vertical saws I1, I1a'l and the needle chains I8, I8a, each of the several pairs of elements just mentioned operating at appropriate velocities. In the particular structure illustrated, the motor, by means of a belt 61, operates a pulley 68 secured to a shaft 69 journalled in supporting bearings 10, the shaft being provided with a sprocket 1I which drives a chain 12 which effects operation of the several pairs of elements above-mentioned. As viewed in Fig. 3, the pulley 68 is driven in a counterclockwise direction by the motor 66 and hence the sprocket 1I on shaft 69 drives the chain 12 in a counterclockwise direction. The chain 12 passes beneath but in driving engagement with a drive sprocket 13 secured to shaft 6I for driving the same but passes over an idler sprocket 14 on the shaft 62. Sprocket 14 being an idler on shaft 6I, the upper needle chain I8 is driven in a clockwise direction by the sprocket 13 on shaft 6I. From the idler sprocket 14 on shaft 62 the chain passes around driving sprocket 15 on shaft 63 and thereby rotates the needle chain I8a in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3. From sprocket 15 the chain passes into driving contact with a drive sprocket 16 on shaft 64 '(after passing around a tensioning sprocket 11) for driving the shaft 64. The needle bearing chains I8, I8a are driven in unison and as the needles, via the saw kerfs, penetrate the bodies of successive Shrimps delivered thereto by the belts I5, I5a, the bodies are moved positively from right to left and during such movement the peelers 20, 20a, engage the forward headless end of each shrimp inwardly of the forward ends of the shells which have been slit along the tops and bottoms, and strip the shell sections from the bodies. The feelers 2 I, 2 Ia, as well as the peelers 28, 20a, tend to move inwardly under the action of the spring 4 la, but may be moved outwardly by the shrimp bodies in accommodating the bodies therebetween and follow the longitudinal contour of the bodies as the latter are constrained by the engaging needlesto move forwardly. The shells when freed from the bodies drop through a suitable opening in the plate I0 into a suitable receptacle provided for receiving the same, such as the receptacle 23.

As a shrimp body approaches the left-hand end of the chains I8, Ia between the strippe1` plates 24, 24a, the needles begin to withdraw from the body. As the needles of the chains withdraw from the flesh of a body, the needles pass through the slots of plates 24, 24a, as will be clear. The iinal withdrawal of the needles I9 occurs while the shrimp bodies are on the downwardly sloping portion of the plate 24a which results in the freed bodies being deposited by gravity in a suitable receptacle beneath the terminal portion of the curved plate, such as a washing receptacle I4, above-mentioned.

The shafts 25', 26 to which the pulleys 26, 26a are secured and which drive the belts I5, I5@ are driven by any suitable means, the former in a clockwise and the latter in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. l2, the lower ends of the shafts 26', 26 carry meshing gears 18, 18a of equal diameter. In the illustrated driving arrangement, a beveled pinion 18 secured to a transverse shaft meshes with a similar pinion 8| secured to the lower end of shaft 26 and, therefore, as the shaft 8i) is driven by a chain 82, pinion 16 on the shaft 88 will drive pinion 8| on shaft 26 and pinion 18 on shaft 26' will drive the meshing pinion 18a on shaft 26" and so drive the pulleys 26, 26a at the same velocities for operating the feed belts I5, |511. in unison and the adjacent runs thereof in the same direction For the purpose of driving the tail severing discs I6, I6a, the former in a clockwise direction and the latter in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 6, the shafts 83, 83a upon the upper ends of which the discs are mounted, are provided with meshing gears 84, 84a, at the lower ends, the gear 84a meshing with a pinion 85 which is in driving engagement with pinion 18a as shown in Fig. l2. The two tail severing discs are thus operated in unison upon operation of the motor 66, the shaft 80 being driven by the chain 82 from a pinion on shaft 64.

y9 The swinging ira-me 53 :which supports 4the vlower saw lila preferably is pivotal-ly mounted on the shaft 58B Vand is biased in clockwise vdirection @as viewed Eig. 3 'by spring '5'4 which urges it' upwardly into putting :contact with 'the back of `each shrimp moved into .the operating zone .of the saws Il, l fla :by the .conveyor for ieed'in'g belts i5, |511. AA sha-Tft ii?! to which .the saw llfa is secured carries a .driven 4pinion 88 which Ymeshes with allarger pinion B9 on la shaft `il!) `carried by Vthe iframe 553. A sprocket Si on the shaft '9.0 is

shrimp 'body at any instant, however, move in 'opposite clockwisedirections. This action fo the lsaws is desirable 4since the upper saw tends to urge the shrimp bodies i'orwardly while the direction -oi rotation loi the lower saw Illa combined with the direction of its `pivotal swing under urg- -enceof the spring 54 `about the shaft 80 Aas a pivot,

tends to -iiatten out the naturally `curved shrimp bodies against the lower surface of the plate 44a through a slot 'in which 'the upper saw ll extends 'a distance `corresponding to the depth of the kerf "to be cut by said saw, preferably not more than one eighth or an inch. The 'plateilta is shown supported above 'the plate lill by spacers 46a.. `By

'the construction described, the -shell of each shrimp bod-y is severed throughout the length 'thereof by the saws, leaving the shell halves `in con-'dition toibo stripped from the bodies lby the peelers '20, 29a as th-e' 'bodies are 4moved by the needle :chains lil, lla into shell removing position 1in section Boff the machine, Lasabove described.

As indicated above, 'the beheaded Shrimps 'or headless shrimp bodies 4are grasped one'by one by hand and fed with "the beheaded end foremost into4 the V-shaped forward end of .the machine between the yconveyor belts -I5, a, the operator holding each `successive shrimp :by the tail. The bodies of the Shrimps are fed between the belts with the belly up and as .the ytail is severed, the .belts `carry the bodies forwardly., the belt .sections `,moving inwardly or outwardly in unison .in response to the size and contour -of Vthe Shrimps las above Hdescribed. As a headless and 'tailess shrimp body approaches the saws, the :lower saw llanand discs 52 thereon will press it upwardly against the plate M by reason of the discs 52 secured to the sides of the saw `and insure that the kshrimp is cut by the saws along the back bythe y'lower saw as well as 'by the upper saw Il along the belly. The pressure exerted against the normally curved body of the shrimp by the edges of the discs under the upward pressure exerted by the spring 54 insures that the kerfs cut by the saw will be continuous along the upper and lower extremities of the body.

As the shrimp body proceeds to the left, as viewed in Fig. 3, and approaches the needle chains i3, i3d, downward pressure is exerted on the body by the downwardly deflected portions of the plates M, ta which portions are slotted to receive the needles of the upper chain I8. The downward pressure exerted on successive shrimp bodies by the downwardly deflected wall portions bulges the bodies outwardly at opposed l0 sides `prior to :engagement of the forward :edges of the shells by the peelers 20, 20a. The .ends .of 'the `peelers engage inwardly of the shell due to the guiding action of the feeler members 2|, 21a land as the bodies proceed to the left under the 4propelling action of the needles which engage the bodies -atfthe top and fbottom, the longitudinally severed shell sections are stripped from the bodies and deposited in the lower receptacle. The peeled Yshrimp bodies proceed to the left and as they approach the left-hand end of the machine, are neleaised by the needle chains and then .drop into a receptacle for washing.

The lower saw .lla is designed to cut into or cut away the Aso-called sand veins or intestines which are `located along the backs of the shrimp bodies. In some instances, some portions of .the vein may remain in place but are exposed by the kerf 'made by the `lower saw lla and can `readily be washed away by a washing operation.

While I have described a machine which :cuts on the tails and removes the shells and intes- -tine or sand vvein Afrom headless shrimp bodies and which is illustrative of the invention, it `will vbe apparent that other rearrangements of parts and minor chang-es may be resorted tojwithout departure from l'the scope of the invention dened by the 'appended claims.

Lclaim:

l. In a machine for peeling the shells from headless bodies of shrimps `comprising a base, a `pair -of endless conveyors arranged in `a horizontal plane von said base and having cooperating spaced apart runs providing an intermediate passage into which shrimp bodies can be fed for Yengagerri-ent on opposed sides 'by said runs for advancement ofthe bodies to shell slitting means, -a pair fof driven v:pulleys carried by `said base around each of which one Aof said ,conveyors passes in driven relation, means operatively Aassociated -wi-th said conveyors -for `rotating vthe pulleys 'in directions Afor driving said runs in the same direction, an 'id-ler pulley for the opposite end 1of each conveyor, -a ypair of swingable brackets each supporting one of said idler pulleys, spring means urging the brackets in Adirections whereby vsaid idler pulleys and the -ends of the conveyors passing around the same tend to swing leach toward the other, and 'means `interconnecting said brackets for constraining 'said brackets and idler pulleys to swing in unison when moved each toward the other by said spring means or when Avforced each away from the other against the action of said spring 'means by a shrimpbody between vsaidconveyor runs. i

2. A device for shelling headless shrimp -which have -had 'dorsal Yand ventral longitudinal kerfs 'out through the shells thereof, comprising a base, a pair of vvertically spaced conveyors mounted on said base, and provided with lneedles arranged to penetrate the shrimp bodies through said kerfs for positively engaging said bodies and for advancing the bodies along the conveyors and means including a pair of swingable peeler members carried by said base, located at opposite sides of the path of travel of said bodies carried by said conveyors for engaging the inner surfaces ofv the severed sections of the shells at the forward end of each shrimp and means operatively associated with said peeler members for causing the peeler members to follow the inner surfaces of the shells to the tail end thereof for stripping shrimp bodies are kerfed by mechanism including a pair of cooperating endless driven belts arranged in longitudinally spaced relation for engaging shrimp bodies at opposed sides thereof and moving them between the belts, a pair of Vertical rotary saws mounted on said base between said belts on opposed sides thereof for cutting kerfs along the upper and lower portions of the bodies for severing the shells at top and bottom throughout the length of the bodies as the bodies are moved by the belts.

, 4. A device for shelling headless shrimp which have had dorsal and ventral kerfs cut through the shells thereof, comprising a base, an upper engage the inner surfaces of the shell, each sub- L stantiall'y midway between said kerfs on opposed -sides of'a shrimp body, and feeler members operatively associated with said peeler members and engaging the exterior of the shrimp bodies for locating said peeler members in shell engaging position with respect to each advancing shrimp body and for retaining the peeler members in shell peeling position with respect to said body as the same is moved between said peeler members.

5. A device for shelling headless shrimp which have had dorsal and ventral kerfs out through the shells thereof comprising a Ibase, a pair of endless conveyors operatively associated with said base and to which said shrimp bodies are delivered, each conveyor being provided with aligned needles arranged to penetrate the bodies Via said kerfs for engaging the bodies in succession and moving the same forwardly through a shell stripping zone, and cooperating shell stripping members carried by said base and located on opposed sides of the bodies engaged by the needles, said members comprising shiftable feeler members adapted to follow the body contour from front to rear Yas the same are moved past .c

said feeler members, and a peeler member cooperating with each feeler member and held thereby in a stripping engagement with the inner surface of the adjacent portion of each kerfed shell for stripping the respective sections of the kshells from the moving shrimp bodies.

6. A device for shelling shrimp which have lhad their shells slit longitudinally, both dorsally and ventrally, comprising a base, spaced conveyor means mounted on said base, and having needles vtherein adapted to penetrate the flesh of the bodies via the slits for receiving the bodies successively, and means operatively associated with said conveyor means for engaging the advancing ends of the bodies as the same are conveyed by said conveyor means for stripping the shells from the bodies as the bodies are advanced.

7. The structure of claim '6 wherein said shrimp bodies are kerfed by mechanism including a pair of cooperating endless driven belts arranged in longitudinally spaced relation for engaging shrimp bodies at opposed sides thereof and moving them between the belts, a pair of vertical rotary saws mounted on said base between said belts on opposed sides thereof for cutting kerfs along the upper and lower portions of the bodies for severing the shells at top and bottom throughout the length of the bodies as the bodies are moved bythe belts.

8. A device for shelling shrimp which have been slit dorsally Iand ventrally, longitudinally through the shells thereof, comprising a base, a pair of vertically spaced apart cooperating conveyors for receiving the shrimp bodies, said conveyors lbeing provided with endless rows of needle points for penetrating the bodies through said slits,Y a pair of pivotally mounted opposed feeler members, each adapted to contact the shrimp bodies intermediate said slits at the forward end of each shrimp advanced by said conveyors, and to follow the exterior surface thereof to the trailing end of the body, and a pair of shell engaging peeler members each movable with one of said feeler members and having a pointed end disposed inwardly of the respective feeler member for engaging the inner surface of the adjacent Ashell section intermediate the slits for stripping the shell sections from the bodies as the same are advanced by said conveyor means.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein the feeler members are provided with cutting edges along the outer portions thereof for severing flesh of the shrimp bodies protruding outward beyond the forward ends of the shells.

HUBERT JAGGER.

References Cited yin the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany May 31, 1934 

